When walking, jogging, running, snowmobiling, skiing, mountain climbing, hunting or carrying out other physical activities in cold weather, one generally experiences a great deal of discomfort when exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Further, the inspiration of very cold dry air has the combined effect of loss of body heat and difficulty in breathing. Medical problems may be caused due to breathing in cold air when performing physical activities.
Face masks and hoods have been developed for the protection of the face and head under cold environmental conditions. However, these face masks and hoods often have open areas around the neck, eyes, nose, ears, and forehead. Consequently, these face masks and hoods are often not sufficiently warm, whereas in other circumstances, they may be too warm. It is particularly common for the eye area to be uncovered with these devices. This enables cold air to reach the areas of the face around the eyes, and it provides no protection to the eyes under conditions such as sleet and snow. If the eye area is covered, there is typically no means to prevent fogging or to allow for adjustment of the lens. Also, the configuration of the eye openings may result in poor visibility.
Another problem with conventional cold weather face masks is that they force the wearer to breathe cold air directly from the atmosphere. As a result, water and mucus can collect and cause discomfort and damage of frozen fabric. Further, the material from which conventional face masks are made often retains moisture, which results in a loss of insulating properties. These materials, especially knits, also may not have good wind breaking qualities.
Some cold weather face masks contain a breathing device which permits the wearer to breath warm air. However, this warm air is typically "used" air, rather than fresh air. In addition, the face masks and hoods developed previously are often heavy or bulky, and they are difficult to clean.
The present invention addresses these and many other problems associated with currently available cold weather masks and hoods.